Guiding employers with professional, practical, solution focused advice

Australian employment law is complex.

Employees have rights - Employers have obligations – Compliance is not optional. 

Hunter Employee Relations assists employers with tailored, practical advice and solutions.  

We are easy to work with and provide cost effective advice. You don’t need an expensive lawyer.

'Michael has always shown a strong personal interest in protecting our business interests in a very professional and practical manner. He is easy to work with and has become an essential part of our business.'  Vicki Wilson, HR Manager, Lampson

Awards / Enterprise Agreements / National Employment Standards  

‘Are we following the Award or NES properly?’

Hunter Employee Relations regularly assists clients with advice across various Modern Awards, their Enterprise Agreement and the National Employment Standards.

Compliance Audits

'Are we paying our employees correctly?'

If Australia’s largest retailers and Universities, with lots of HR resources, are making payroll errors and large back payments (with Enforceable Undertakings) how sure are you that you are paying your people correctly? The Fair Work Ombudsman can audit your payroll. We can clarify what your employees are entitled to and that you are paying employees correctly.

Hours of Work, Rosters & Employee Entitlements

Why are hours of work clauses so complex? We can assist with aligning your business needs with the best and cost effective hours of work structure.

Fair Work - Flexible Working Arrangements

‘One of my employees wants to work from home 4 days a week…’

Who can ask for flexibility arrangements and what can they ask for?  Employers must respond carefully within legal parameters.

Difficult Behaviour Employees

‘I have a real problem with one of my employees….’

Difficult employees damage the workplace culture and can stress out other employees and line managers. You don’t have to endure them. We can assist them to change their behaviour or help find them a more suitable place to work.

Investigations

‘Do I need an independent investigator?’

• Misconduct & Policy/Safety Breaches 
• Bullying & Sexual Harassment 
• Attitude & Performance Issues 
• Workplace Culture Concerns

Investigations are becoming a new standard with Fair Work especially for complex terminations. WHS breaches may also require a detailed investigation. They need to be undertaken in a fair and legal manner.  Hunter ER can assist you with this.

Discipline & Terminations

‘I’m stressing about ending up in Fair Work!’

• Policy and safety breaches
• Ongoing performance and attitude concerns
• Bullying, harassment, fighting, theft
• Alcohol and other drugs

Employers are often concerned about Fair Work action by employees. Hunter Employee Relations is very experienced with disciplinary processes and terminations and can walk you through the minefield.

Business Restructures & Redundancies

‘We don’t have enough work for our people’

Business restructures and reducing employee numbers present real challenges for employers. How do we select and what Fair Work processes do we need to follow.

Fair Work Commission Representation

‘We’ve received a claim – who can help me?’

• Unfair Dismissals
• General Protections
• Sexual Harassment

Hunter Employee Relations closely guides the employer response and represents employers in proceedings in the Fair Work Commission and the Australian Human Rights Commission. The objective is to resolve the matter with minimal costs and stress.

‘Michael helped us with a difficult Fair Work General Protections claim. We played hard ball, refused to negotiate, and the ex-employee and their no-win no-fee lawyer walked away with $0 settlement and no Federal Court action. It was very stressful, but Michael was very knowledgeable, showed he cared for our small business and his help was very cost effective.’ Steve Cornes, Whitebridge Butchery 

Enterprise Agreements

‘I want to consolidate all our employees under one Agreement’

Some employers prefer to have a local enterprise agreement instead of an industry Award. Hunter Employee Relations is experienced in drafting a compliant Agreement, assist you with the negotiation or negotiate on your behalf and then navigate the Fair Work approval process.

Employment Contract templates

Employment contracts become very important when something goes wrong. They provide an added layer of protection for employers.

Hunter Employee Relations has drafted comprehensive contract templates. You can complete them yourself or we can assist. These templates are a cost-effective option for employers.

Contractor or Employee

‘I want to engage someone as a contractor – is that legal?’

There is a limited ability to engage contractors in certain roles. Any engagement must be structured correctly or the employer could be liable for various employee entitlements as well as superannuation and tax. Consider the $$$ impact.  

Policies

‘What policies and procedures do I really need?’

Employers do not need dozens of policies and procedures. Consider what is essential for your workplace. Hunter Employee Relations has a number of essential template policies you can literally copy on to your letterhead. Easy!

Code of Conduct

“Do we really need a Code of Conduct?”

A well written Code of Conduct has two purposes:

•          It clearly outlines expectations and boundaries for employees.
•          It’s another layer of defence for employers when dealing with behavioural issues or when a matter proceeds to termination and is challenged in Fair Work by the employee.

We have a template Code of Conduct to which you can add any specific items.

Bullying & Harassment

Employees have the right to seek stop bullying orders in Fair Work. They also have the right to take harassment and discrimination matters to HREOC. Often such claims are unexpected for employers until they receiver the legal demand letter.

Employers have a positive duty to stop sexual harassment at the workplace – not simply to respond to incidents.

Human Rights Equal Opportunity Commission

In the last HREOC conciliation conference I attended with a client the employee’s no-win no-fee lawyer demanded $85,000 to settle a claim or they would proceed to the Federal Court seeking a higher penalty. We offered $0. Guess what – no Federal Court action and no settlement paid.

Hunter Employee Relations - Onsite Training

Hunter Employee Relations has developed the following briefing sessions and interactive workshops to comply with the proactive legal requirement to eliminate Sexual Harassment from the workplace.

• Respect at Work – Bullying & Harassment – Briefing
• Respect at Work – Bullying & Harassment – Interactive Workshop
• Respect at Work – Bullying & Harassment – Supervisors & Line Managers Responsibilities

The cost for these items is negotiable based on type, numbers, location.

If you are facing an immediate employee relations issue and need assistance - call me now. Michael 

Hunter Employee Relations - Employer Guides 

• Bullying and Harassment Guide
• Casual Employment Guide
• Payslips and Pay Records Guide for Small Business
• Recruitment Guide for Small Business

Available at no cost.